14 Fighter (Reader x Bat Family)

Prompt: Fighting dangerous and unpredictable criminals can come at a cost. In a single instant, your entire life could change...

You sit on the edge of your bed with your head buried in your hands. You compare your new life to a prisoner within a cell. You're the captive, your brain the cell, holding you back with steel bars. The accident happened several months ago, yet you can still feel the pain as if it were yesterday...

Six months ago...

The timer counts down rapidly. Every second wasted is another second stripped from your life. Thanks to your brothers and sisters, the hostages were escorted out of the building and directed to a safe location by police vehicles. Joker had barged into the bank about three hours earlier and killed ten hostages. The bomb on the upper floors was a bonus to his mayhem. Batman is on his way to ensure Joker pays for this.

Sweat drips off your brow as you pry the metal backing off the bomb. Sets of multi-colored wires tangle together like snakes within the capsule. You pull a Batarang out from within your utility belt and cut the correct wires one by one. Each one of your slices through the wires decreases the time by two seconds. Finally, you cut the last wire and the timer screen goes dark. All is quiet. You pick yourself up from off the ground and smirk at your success.

Just as you turn your back, you hear the Joker's maniacal laughter pour from the bomb's speakers. Numbers flash swiftly across the screen before the word 'BOOM' appears. You sprint as fast as you can to the nearest window.

"I'm going to make it," you say to yourself.

Unfortunately, just before you reach the glass, the bomb explodes and sends you flying through it. You feel the inferno scorch your skin through your armor-plated suit. As you plummet to the ground below, your limbs hit every roof ledge, fire-escape railing, and laundry line in the path. Suddenly, you feel the force of a sludge hammer hit your head from behind. Pain surges like a wave from your skull, down your spine, and clear to your feet. It burns white-hot, and the world seems to fade away as your body goes limp on the concrete. The last thing you feel is a wet substance pouring from your ears before your eyes shut and your last breath escapes your lips...

Present-day...

Ever since then, your life has been difficult. You can no longer catch a ball flying towards you. Your limbs don't want to react. You can no longer express yourself to your family. The words you can see and think so clearly mean nothing when escaping your lips. You can no longer complete a puzzle or basic homework without Tim helping you. Your thoughts are like a train that derails from the tracks. Worst of all, you can no longer feel sympathy for others the way you used to. The tears of another are somehow not as heartbreaking as your own.

You desperately tried to continue helping Batman and your siblings in the fight against crime, but your disability is putting the lives of innocent people at risk. You're not quick on your feet anymore. You're not mentally capable anymore...

The phone rings on your bedside table and you walk over to it.

"Y-yes?"

"It's me," Bruce answers. "Come down to the living room. We need to talk...all of us."

You hang up without another word and head down the grand staircase to the living room. Leaning against the wooden hearth is Bruce, who appears to be looking at the flames deep in the thought. Damian sits in the leather armchair with his back facing towards you. Dick, Tim, Barbara, and Jason all sit on the sofa, looking at you with nervous and sympathetic eyes. Bruce turns from the fire and looks at you sternly.

"(Y/N), I hate having to ask you this, but I think we both know this was going to happen."

Everyone stares at you. You just look into the fire.

"I'm asking you to hand in your mask," he continues. You rip your gaze away from the flames and give Bruce a pleading look.

"P-please...d-don't do...t-this," you beg with tears lining your eyes. "I c-can still do t-this. G-give me more t-time...".

He grimaces and looks away again. It's his way of telling you "I'm sorry, but I have to do what's right." The tears lining your eyes finally fall and you whimper in despair. Why is this happening?

Dick gets up from the couch and pulls you into a tight hug. Jason walks over too and rubs smooth circles on your shoulders. Tim and Barbara hold your hands.

"Hey...this isn't your fault," Dick soothes. "We hate having to do this."

"We're your family and we all care about you," Tim says.

"And we'll never forget what you did that day," Barbara adds.

"No matter what happens, you'll always be a hero to us," Jason concludes.

You nod and crack a small smile. After everything that's happened, they still love you and will help you through this. Giving up what you love won't be easy. You'll still have to take speech and physical therapy classes. Things will never be the way they were, but having your loving family with you every step of the way will be enough to get you through. Life isn't always kind, but you'll continue to fight the battle. After all, that's what you do best. You fought for Gotham. You fought for your family. Now, you'll fight for you.